Cicero
was one of the greatest thinkers of the Roman Empire. He was a skilled orator,
lawyer, politician, linguist, and writer. Still today he is quoted for his
clear prose and practical wisdom.
For
instance, of having friends he wrote: “Friendship improves happiness and abates
misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” He
understood the double benefits of friendship along life’s journey.
Nearly a
millennium earlier, King Solomon had written about the value of friends as
well. In Ecclesiastes we read, “Two are better than one, because they have a
good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up”
(4:9-10). Certainly a life without friends makes our sojourn lonely and hard to
bear.
That
famous Roman and that Jewish king were right: Friends are important. Friends
serve as confidants, counselors, and burden-sharers.
Think about your friends. Have you been neglecting those God has provided to share your joys and sorrows? If so, seek out one of your friends for fellowship this week. Remember, “two are better than one,” because a friend can double our joy and divide our grief.
Friends are flowers in the garden of life. (RBC)
